Mexico Scatters Migrant Caravans Heading to US Prior to Trump's Inauguration

The Mexican government is intensely working to dismantle migrant caravans attempting to travel north to the U.S. before President-elect Trump's inauguration in under two weeks.

To avoid the impact of massive tariffs under the new administration, Mexico has been scattering migrants across the country, including in Acapulco, a popular tourist destination on Mexico's Pacific coast that was once a favorite among the jet set in the 1950s and 1960s.

Despite being a former gem of Mexico's tourism sector, the city is currently plagued by organized crime and grapples with recovering from a devastating hurricane in 2023. It now boasts one of the country's highest murder rates.

With little support and few options, migrants are being dropped off by authorities in large busloads.

The Mexican government has adopted a strategy of "exhaustion and scattering" to decrease the number of migrants arriving at the U.S. border. Officials allow migrants to walk for extended periods until they are fatigued, after which they provide buses to different cities, claiming their immigration status will be assessed.

The migrants, who spoke to the Associated Press, reveal that they were promised by immigration officials that they could continue their journey north towards the U.S. border, but have been left stranded in the city instead.

""

Thousands of migrants, including Castañeda, have left Tapachula near the Guatemalan border in recent weeks with the aim of crossing the Mexican border into the U.S. before Trump takes office.

An adult migrant would need 16 days of continuous walking to reach the southernmost point of the U.S. border, which is located at the Matamoros crossing near Brownsville, Texas. Migrants often travel in caravans because they believe that there is greater safety in numbers, making it difficult or impossible for immigration agents to detain large groups of hundreds of migrants.

The Biden-Harris administration has seen a surge in illegal crossings, and Trump plans to intensely crack down on them. He has also pledged to execute the largest deportation in U.S. history and has appointed South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as DHS secretary and Tom Homan as the new "Border Czar."

The Biden administration has pledged to end the use of parole programs that allow migrants to enter via the expanded "lawful pathways."

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Trump repeated his threat and announced his plan to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

"Mexico must stop allowing millions of people to enter our country. They can do it. And we will impose significant tariffs on Mexico and Canada because drugs are entering through Canada at record levels. We will make up for this by imposing tariffs on Mexico and Canada," he stated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.